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“Women are paying the price for your crisis” – Prentis tells Warsi

UNISON has accused the government of making women and families pay a high price for the economic crisis, while the bankers get off scot-free.

General secretary Dave Prentis hit back at claims made by co-chairman of the Conservative Party, Sayeeda Warsi, that the pensions strike will damage women, saying that it is cuts to jobs, vital public services, pensions and benefits that are hitting women across the UK hardest.

Added to this, the rising cost of absolute basics such as food and fuel are squeezing family budgets to the limit. The truth is that 3,700,000 women will be affected by the government’s plans to make them pay more, work longer, for less benefits.

Dave Prentis said: “It is this government’s savage economic policies that are really hurting women and their families. UNISON has one million women members and they deliver vital services day in day out, looking after and educating our children, caring for the sick and elderly and keeping communities and young people safe. It is this government that has pushed them to the brink and into strike action to protect their pensions.

“Applications to join UNISON have gone up by 126% since the result of our ballot was announced, 81% from women. These women don’t take strike action lightly, but they know who to turn to for help – and it is not this coalition government who are losing the trust of women across the UK.”

Coalition ministers want to make major changes to the pension available to public service workers – 65% of whom are women. There is an info graphic here.